Suspect in fire extinguisher attack charged with trying to blow up his mom's house

A man is arrested and charged days after he is suspected of trying to blow up his mother's home in Calhoun County.

Scott Wilson, 57, of Ohio, wasn’t tracked down until Tuesday after the initial incident with the suspect's mother that happened more than a week ago.

Deputies said the suspect was arrested after causing trouble while he was drunk in a hotel parking lot.

Calhoun County Sheriff Matt Saxton said, “The suspect, at that time, grabbed a fire extinguisher off the wall and started spraying it around the hallway and then sprayed it directly in the faces of the 52-year-old hotel owner, along with his father-in-law.”

The trouble began for Wilson at his mother's home in Albion on July 1.

Albion Department of Public Safety Det. Justin Reniger said, “Mr. Wilson had allegedly assaulted another family member there and may have interfered with them trying to call 911, either by taking the phone or ripping the phone out of the wall.”

Albion officers responded and when they arrived at the scene they were met with a strong odor of natural gas.

Reniger said, “While searching for him in the basement they had discovered that Mr. Wilson had cut the gas line to the hot water heater and there was a lighter and apparent burn marks where it appears he had attempted to essentially blow the house up. It's a big concern for those officers that were coming inside there. If you would have been in there, you know, when they confronted him, that could have been a terrible situation.”

However, Wilson was gone.

He wasn't found until Tuesday night at the Days Inn just outside of Albion.

Deputies with the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office were called out for a man who was intoxicated and causing problems in the parking lot.

Two employees tried to intervene and that's when it escalated.

Saxton said Wilson was a customer at the Days Inn, but not anymore.

He said, “He has a room over in Battle Creek at my hotel.”

Wilson was hit with a slew of charges Wednesday and this is not his first arson or attempted arson arrest.

The magistrate said he had been convicted, at least once, for arson in Ohio.